Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treating severe high calcium in a young Ragdoll cat
By Whitney, Joanna L et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2011·Faculty of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of bisphosphonates to treat severe idiopathic hypercalcaemia in a young Ragdoll cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old Ragdoll cat was brought to the vet because it was drinking and urinating a lot, vomiting, losing weight, and had high calcium levels in its blood. After tests, the vet diagnosed the cat with idiopathic hypercalcaemia, a condition where the body has too much calcium without a clear cause. To treat this, the cat was given a medication called pamidronate, followed by oral alendronate. Remarkably, despite some serious electrolyte imbalances, the cat showed few symptoms and is now doing well, remaining healthy 15 months later.
People also search for: Ragdoll cat high calcium treatment · cat vomiting and weight loss · pamidronate for cats · alendronate for cat hypercalcaemia
Abstract
A 3-year-old Ragdoll cat was referred for investigation of polyuria, polydipsia, vomiting, weight loss and hypercalcaemia. Serum biochemical abnormalities included total and ionised hypercalcaemia and hypophosphataemia. Following clinical investigations a diagnosis of idiopathic hypercalcaemia was made. Because of the severity of the hypercalcaemia and the associated clinical signs, treatment for hypercalcaemia was commenced with pamidronate. Major electrolyte abnormalities were detected but, remarkably, were accompanied by minimal clinical signs. The cat was subsequently treated with oral alendronate and is clinically normal 15 months later. Reports of the use of bisphosphonates in cats are limited and close monitoring of patients is recommended.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21036642/